Shakela Bellamy, a 19-year-old University of the West Indies accounts student, is the Banks Calendar Girl 2013.
The very confident Bellamy strode onto the stage first at Oistins Bay Garden, Christ Church, on Thursday night in a daring outfit that was a daunting act for the other seven girls to follow. Most, if not all, of the other girls followed suit in the section where they showed their creativity in modelling their own designed swimwear.
Almost three hours later, Bellamy was stunned and hardly reacted when she was announced as the new face and body of Banks Beer by beating out the highly popular Regina Ramjit into second and Neisha Cave into third.
That decision signalled an eruption of the thousands of fans who had thronged every nook and cranny to take in the action all night.
Bellamy won a $10 000 contract and will be the official 2013 Banks Beer Ambassador and 2013 Calendar girl.
Not even aunt Sharon Bellamy, discarding shoes and running onto the stage to lead a procession of mother Kumara Bellamy and brother Shakur Bellamy, could shake the new queen from the shock of her triumph.
The eight finalists were Bellamy, Ramjit, Cave, Deanne Campbell, Simona Joseph, Sheldine Mapp, Shawntelle Marshall and Nakita Ollivierre. Ramjit won the People’s Choice award and $1 000 while Cave captured the title of Ms Congeniality and won $500.
The contestants recognised that it was in the first swimwear parade that they needed to gain the edge and to woo and win the judges and crowd.
Bellamy’s teasing outfit was smoking and Cave took the challenge admirably. Ramjit was provocative with a top that sizzled until closer inspection showed that it was a flesh coloured covering peeking through the strings.
The fans were driven further into a frenzy when Sheldine Mapp appeared in a fiery red full-piece outfit with a piece of cloth forming the bottom half which only lacked a big bow.
The girls wore similar outfits designed by Toni Thorne in the second swimwear section.
The judges were Akash Ragbir, Banks’ Brewery manager; Nigel Lobo, Sales Manager at B&B Distribution, Thorne, DJ Malcolm X and Miss Banks 2012 Christine Wiggins. (KB)

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